Discoidal engine.



No. 683,406. Patented sept. 24, 19m.

F. W.JAEGER.

DISCOIDAL ENGINE.

(Applicatan led Fb. 7, 1901.)

lgJ. .5 2 z5 ,gif/RS4 A WITNESSES: L ww ATTORNEY.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

FREDERICK W. JAEGER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

DlSCOlDAL ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 683,406, datedSeptember 24, 1901. Appiicaaon flied February 7, 1901.. serai No.46.307. (No mais.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. J AEGEE, a citizen of theUnited Statesof America,resid ing at the borough of Manhattan, New York,

in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Discoidal Engines, of which the followingis a specioation.

My invention has reference to improvements in disk engines-such, forinstance, as that known as the Bishop engine and described by Rankine inThe Steam Engine and Other Prime llfoners, 1859, and used with successto drive screw-propellers- My invention also has reference to a simplerform of suspending a piston in volumes of active fluid than those shownin my prior Letters Patent, No. 659,675, dated October 16, 1900.

The object of my invention is to provide a motor having all theeffective features of a high-speed reciprocating crank-engine withoutcontaining the bad features thereof, it being practically an enginetaking a medium position between the old-style reciprocating engines andthe steam-turbines.

To this end :my invention consists, essentially, in an engine, pump, orlike apparatus comprising a casing, j a shaft extending through saidcasing and rotatably mounted, a piston pivotally connected to oscillateabout an axis at an angle tothe shaft, and abutments on the sides ofsaid piston engaged thereby, the adjacent or contact-ing surfaces of thepiston andabutments being formed to run together and-,relativelyforming, by means of projectingV constituent noses, a plurality ofpockets onthe sidesof `the piston, gradually increasing and decreasingin volume on the same side of the piston during the cycle. j

The nature of my invention will best be understood when described inconnection with4 the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1represents a sectional elevation of a motor embodying my invention. Fig.2 is a similar view, but showing the piston turned through an angle ofabout forty-five degrees from the position shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a'sectional bottom view of Fig. 1. Fig. t is a sectional bottom view ofFig. 2. Fig. 5 is an elevation showing the parts in the same position asFig. 1 and part of one of the abut- `said piston, the ball, and theshaft.

ments being broken away. Fig. 6 is an elevation showing the parts in thesame position as in Fig. 4 and part of one of the abutments being brokenaway. Fig. 7 is a face view of the rotary oscillating piston. Fig. 8 isa face view of one of the valves. Fig. 9 is a side view of the same.Fig. 10 is an cnd view of the engine,partly in section.

Similar letters and numerals of reference designate corresponding partsthroughout the several viewsof the drawings.

Referring to Vthe drawings, the letter A designates a shaft mounted torotate in suitable bearings l 1, formed in a casing B, which issubstantially in the form of a hollow sphere made in two parts flangedand bolted together in the` usual manner. Upon the shaft A is mountedcentrally with respect to the casing B a piston C, and within saidpiston are also located stationary abutments D and E, with which saidpiston is adapted to engage laterally. The piston C has a bearing upon aball 2, which may be attached either to the shaft or form part of thesame, and said piston is held to the shaft and to the ball by means of apin 3, passing diametrically throulgh T is pin forms an axis about whichthe piston C can turn laterallye-that is to say, it can oscillate whilerotating. The pin 3 virtually forms a diameter of the casing B, andconsequently the piston oscillates about an axis at right angles to theaxis of the shaft. The abutments D and E are in the present instanceeach formed of :a spherical sector fitting the casing B with its archedsurface and terminating inwardly in a frustum of a cone. The planesofthe bases and tops of the frustums of the abutments are parallel andform an angle with the axis of the shaftthat is to say, they extendobliquely to the shaft. The piston C is in the present example madediscoidal in form and has its opposite faces inclined from two sides atan angle corresponding to that of the bases of the frustums, so that theadjacent or meeting surfaces come into close or smooth con-` IOO eachother. The abutmentsD and E, as will be seen from Fig..1, areeccentrically mounted with :respect to the shaft, the relativeeccentricityin the present example being one hu ndred and eightydegrees.

In consequence of the above-described construction of the piston andabutments there will be formed between the piston and the abutments whenthe piston is in the position shown in Figs. l and 2 two pockets 4 and5, which are diametrically opposite to each other on opposite sides ofthe piston; but as soon as the piston is slightly turned two additionalpockets are formed-that is, there will now be two pockets on each sideof the piston, of lwhich two are continually increasing in volume andtwo decreasing in volumeduring the further rotation of the piston. It isevident that if actuating Huid be introduced into the two newly-formingpockets on opposite sides of the piston a rotation of the latter will beinduced, together with an oscillation of the same about the pin or axis3. The exhaust fluid is expelled from the graduallydecreasing pockets.

For the purpose of introducing actuating Huid-for instance, stean1-intothe pockets I make use of valves 6 and 7, located 'adjacent to theabutments D and E and mounted on the shaft A to rotate with the same. yIn tliepresent example I have shown disk valves each having, as bestseen in Figs. S and 9, t.woind\1ctio11-ports 8 and 9 and twoexhaustports 10 and 1l, the exhaustports being formed on the peripheryof the disks and the induction-ports in the body thereof. The 'actuatingfluid is conducted to the valves through the pipes l2 and 13,communicating with the induction -ports 8 and 9, and the fluid passesfrom thence through channels 14 and l5, respectively, to the formingpockets. The channels 14; and l5V are formed in, the abutments D and Eand are branched, 'as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, and their intersection iscontrolled by a plug 19 for each abutment, so that the engine can bereversed by turning the plug so as to direct the incoming-fluid throughone channel or the other. When the plug is reversed or turned, theformer iuidchannel is closed off. The main exhaust from the decreasingpockets takes place through the `exhaust-pipes 2O and 21, which enterthe casing B in position to communicate with said pockets. Of course butone set of exhausts-that is, one on each side ofthe piston-would besufficient for a non-reversible engine. The exhaust-ports l0 and l1 inthe valves 6 and are connected by passa-ges formed in the abutments withthe pockets and serve for the discharge of the small quan- 1 ti'ty ofuid which may be confined between the piston and abutments j ust beforethe final disappearance of the decreasing pockets.l

The passages in the abutments I have designated by the numerals 22 and23.

It will be readily understood frornjthe foregoing that the piston iscaused to assume a rotary oscillatory movement between the twoahutinents D and E and that, in View of the distribution of one pocketfor live fluid and one pocket for exhaust fluid on each side of thepiston, the piston is practically balanced and there is little or nofriction between the contacting parts. Only such provision needtherefore be made as will keep the parts tight.

The periphery of the piston is preferably arched to correspond to thearc of the casing and is provided with a packing-such, for instance, asa packing-ring ordinarily employed for pistons-and the noses of thepiston may also be provided with a suitable packing.

While I have herein shown projecting noses, it is evident that yieldingnoses, such as shown in my prior patent and applications, could beemployed. The valve-gear shown, of course, could be replaced by anyother well-known form of gear.

It is obvious that. the abutment-heads could be arranged to giveway-that is to say, to move outwardly-for the purpose of permittingV the.passage of the noses on the piston while theY latter rotates withoutoscillation. This oo nstru etion would still involve the principle ofthe suspension of the piston and the oscillatory movement hereindescribed.

The rotary oscillatory movement of the piston might be called cycloid'ahinasmuch as the piston 'rolls over a longer surface than its developedcircumference, or the movement might also be called one of nutation.

A s the curved surfaces of the piston vand abutment's are alwaystangential to each other and time is given in changing from one angle toanother by the forms of the lines embodied in the construction of thepiston and abutme'uts, there will be no bad o'r detrimental change ofdirection'.

It is of course to be understood that the abutments could be made torotate While the piston remains stationary and that the bases of thefrustums of the cones of the abutments need not necessarily be parallel,and, furthermore, that'agreater or iessnumber of projecting noses couldbe employed on the piston. ,Y

What I claim as new isf#- l. In an apparatus lof the characterspecified, the combination of a casing, a shaft 'extending through saidcasing and rotatably mounted, a piston pivotally connected to osc'illateabout an axis at an angle to the shaft, and abutmen'ts on the sides ofsaid piston engaged thereby; the adjacent or contacting surfaces of thepiston and abutments being formed to run together and relatively formingby means of projecting constituent noses a plurality of pockets on thesides of the piston gradually increasing 'and decreasing in volume. onthe same side of the piston during the cycle. e

2. In 'an apparatus of thecharacter specined, the combination `of acasing, a shaft vextendingthroughv said casing and rotatably mounted, apiston pivotally connected. to os- IOO IIO

cillate about an axis at an angle to the shaft, and abutments on thesides of said piston engaged thereby; the surfaces of the pistonadjacent to the abutments having projecting constituent noses contactingwith the abutments and forming a plurality of pockets on the sides oflthe piston gradually increasing and decreasing in volulne on the sameside of the piston during the cycle.

3. In an apparatus of the character specified, the combination of acasing, a shaft eX- tending through said casing and rotatably mounted, apiston pivotally connected to oscillate about an aXis at an angle to theshaft, abutments on the sides of said piston engaged thereby; theadjacent or contacting surfaces of the piston and abutments being formedto run together and relatively forming by means of projectingconstituent noses a plurality of pockets on each side of the pistongradually increasing and decreasing in volume on the same side of thepiston during the cycle, and means for reversing the direction of motionof the piston.

4. In an apparatus of the character speci- Iied, the combination of acasing, a shaft eX- tending through said casing and rotatably mounted, apiston pivctally connected to oscillate about an axis at an angle to theshaft, abutments on the sides of said piston engaged thereby; theadjacent or Contactin g surfaces of the piston and abutments beingformed to run together and relatively forming by means of projectingconstituent noses a plurality of pockets on each side of the pistongradually increasing and decreasing in volume on the same side of thepiston during the cycle, and means for supplying and exhausting fluidfrom the pockets.

5. In an apparatus of the character specitied, the combination of acasing, a shaft eX- tending through said casing and rotatably mounted, adiscoidal piston having an arched periphery engaging With acorresponding internal arched surface of the casing and pivotallyconnected to oscillate about an axis at an angle to the shaft, andabutments on the sides of said piston engaged thereby; the adjacent orcontacting surfaces of the piston and abutments being formed to runtogether and relatively forming by means of projecting constituent nosesa plurality of pockets on the sides of the piston gradually increasingand decreasing in volume on the same side of the piston during thecycle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRED. W. JAEGER. Witnesses:

EUGENIE P. HENDRIcKsoN, FRED HACHENBERG.

